Head of Marshals Service in Chicago reassigned

The U.S. Marshals Service has announced it has replaced the head of its Chicago office for the past four years in a re-organization, appointing an interim chief for its high-profile northern Illinois district.

Darryl McPherson, who was named to the top Chicago post by President Barack Obama in 2010, was recently reassigned to the same office's judicial security division, said Drew Wade, an agency spokesman in Washington.

Wade, however, declined to discuss why the 17-year Marshals Service veteran was moved to a lower-level job, citing privacy rules. A telephone message seeking comment from McPherson on Monday afternoon wasn't immediately returned. The Marshals Service is the enforcement arm of U.S. courts. Among its other duties, the agency is responsible for transporting prisoners, catching fugitives and ensuring the security of federal judges.

With McPherson out as the No. 1 in Chicago, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Joel Kirch is the acting head, Wade said. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, will take the lead nominating candidates to fill the job permanently. President Obama would pick a nominee from among them.

McPherson worked as a deputy marshal in Mobile, Alabama, before transferring to Chicago in 1999.